Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Around Apalachicola, the “Forgotten Coast” is dotted with parks, forests, and refuges along US 98 and the barrier islands.
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A delightful destination for learning about Apalachicola Bay, the headquarters of Apalachicola NERR boasts a nature center and more than a half mile of gentle interpretive trails.
Noted for its botanical beauty, the Apalachicola National Forest is the largest National Forest in Florida, sweeping south and west of Tallahassee
There is something magical about the Apalachicola River, surrounded by deeply folded ravines at its upper end and wet pine flatwoods farther south, home to unusual plant species along its length.
Chapman Botanical Garden honors the memory of Dr. Alvan Wentworth Chapman, a noted botanist who in 1860 published Flora of the United States. Adjoins the Orman House
At St. George Island State Park, the 5-mile round trip Gap Point Trail offers an opportunity to backpack or day hike to get up close to the desert-like coastal scrub.
In Tate’s Hell State Forest, the High Bluff Coastal Trail along US 98 near Carrabelle leads you over relict dunes covered with scrub plants like Florida rosemary and scrub mint.
One of only two Floridians honored in the halls of Congress for their achievements, Dr. John Gorrie is the acknowledged inventor of air conditioning, patented in 1851.
If you’re looking for remote along Florida’s coast, Little St. George Island in Apalachicola Bay has over 9 miles of undeveloped beach and several miles of trails, and is only accessible by boat.
Sitting on a high bluff above the Apalachicola River, the Orman House was built by early Apalachicola settler and shipping magnate Thomas Orman in 1838. It is now preserved as Orman House Historic State Park.
Leading to a stand of dwarf bald cypress centuries old and less than 15 feet tall, the Kendrick Boardwalk at Tate’s Hell State Forest is one of the weirder botanical spots in the Florida panhandle.
Blessed with brilliant white quartz sand, St. George Island State Park is a sparkling, quiet getaway protecting more than 2,000 acres of coastal habitats on a barrier island between Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
A fourth-generation Apalachicola oysterman teaches us how to tong for oysters while recounting the cultural history and modern issues of Apalachicola Bay.
